Trials of Blood
by loveandmagic9913
Summary: How do you kill the unkillable? How do you break the unbreakable? X-23 and Deadpool find themselves locked in a cell together where it appears they, along with others, are being held in trial for a someone's entertainment value. It doesn't take long to find out who is behind this, and they begin to realize that after all they've been through, they may not survive. (1st in a series)
1. Chapter 1: The Official Meeting

**Trials of Blood**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: This is based off my own headcanon, which I was inspired to create into a series of fanfics. Originally I was keeping them for myself, but I decided, what the hell. Anyways, if you have a problem with my headcanon or have a problem with my eventual pairing which will be evident as my otp is my two main characters, then you can just stop reading. I will ignore all flames, as I do not have time for hate. Constructive criticism is always welcome though. I hope you all enjoy this and continue to read as I post more. Also, this is going to be written in 3rd POV Limited. Meaning, I will be writing for Laura, keeping myself out of Wade's head. I know most people don't do this, but I feel it will be a greater experience at the moment to focus on how Laura reacts to, sees, and perceives him as well as any of the things he does or says because of his Dissociative Identity Disorder. In the future fanfics that are connected to this as a series though, I will be delving deeper into his mind as well, so just be patient.**

**Ch.1 _The Official Meeting_**

The sound of metal grating against metal broke into Laura's mind, which for once was not reliving her life in a nightmarish blood bath, yet instead was filled with odd sounds of a bear groaning and someone occasionally mentioning something concerning tacos. Though as the disruption ended, she could still hear the original sounds, and she realized she was now awake. She opened her eyes and found herself lying in a small cot, staring at a dark stone roof with a barred and locked door in the center. She pushed the blankets off her body and sat up. The dark stone east and west walls matched the ceiling, but the north and south walls were a smooth black surface. Laura bet herself it was some kind of glass. On the east wall she noticed a door that was labeled 'bathroom', and on the wall opposite that was a row of tiny metal doors, similar to the lockers she'd seen in Megan's school. She noticed the tiny slit in the north wall, one of the ones made of the mysterious black glass, and realized it was just the right size for things such as trays of food to be passed through. She turned to the south wall, near the head of her bed and saw a small table with two chairs, and finally she turned her attention to the source of the grumbling and food talk. A bed against the east wall, across from hers, where lay a muscular man outfitted in red and black with a full face mask. She vaguely recognized him from a slew of jumbled memories though her brain was still trying to make sense of the situation. She noticed the various weapons dangling from the posts at the head of his bed, and she glanced past the head of her bed to find a pile of boots. Whoever brought her here knew her well.

She stood and ignored the creaking bed springs as her bare feet carried her over the cold stone floor to the boots, each pair identical. She heard the groan of the man and the creak of bed springs, but she ignored it as she bent over to grab the first pair.

"This is one of the best sights I have ever woken up to." The man said from behind her. She turned back to him, boots in hand, and found him sitting on his bed, obviously leering at her body in her black leather pants and black cleavage-bearing crop top.

"Do you know where we are?" She asked as she sat on the edge of her cot and began pulling on her boots.

"Is this not heaven?" He retorted, again his eyes scanning her body.

"Considering my previous trips to hell, I do not imagine they would allow me in here if it were heaven and I did happen to die, and from what I know of you, I can say the same stands." She answered.

"Well you're mean." He crossed his arms in front of his chest as if he were pouting. "So is that a no on the sex?"

"It is not a yes." She stood and walked to the center of the room, to examine the cage door above her.

"So maybe …" He stood. "That works for me." He looked between her and the door. "Need a boost, Short Stuff?"

Laura ignored him and jumped straight up and grabbed two of the bars. She pulled herself up and let herself sniff the air. It was dank and smelled of sweat and blood. She listened and could hear murmurs and shouts, a mixture of voices some feminine and some masculine, some crying to be free and some discussing those in cages though she couldn't make out what exactly they said, it was like they were behind a wall. She let go of one bar and extended one of her claws to test it on the bars. They wouldn't cut. The bars were made of solid adamantium, just as her claws. She released the other bar and landed back on her feet.

"Whatcha got, Junior Wolverine?" He asked, arms still crossed over his chest.

She ignored his jeer. "We are not the only ones they have. I can make out at least fifty other voices of captives. There are also other people here too, though I do not know why. They appeared to be discussing us though."

"What about smells?" He asked.

"Blood and sweat. Water. Fear. Anger. Hunger. Desire. Lust." She stated matter of factually.

Lines creased his mask as if he were furrowing his brow. "Are you sure you weren't sniffing me?"

"I am sure." She glanced back to his bed, taking notice of the guns. "You have a healing factor, correct?"

He hesitated. "Yes. Why?"

"My claws could not cut the bars. I need you shoot the north or south walls as well as the lock on the door. If the bullets don't break through and rebound, you and I should be fine." She explained.

"Did they really put two psychos in a cage?" He asked aloud.

"It appears so." He then answered himself, or well repeated what one of the voices said aloud.

Laura cast him a look at his personal conversation as he walked to his bed and grabbed a gun, part of her brain could appreciate the pleasing aesthetic his body had while the rest of her just saw him as a tool to utilize. He turned and pointed at the lock.

"You gonna move, or stay there so it can hit you in the eye when this doesn't work?" He asked.

Laura unsheathed her claws in response. He shrugged and fired twice at the lock. The bullets didn't even make a dent, and as they fell back toward Laura, she raised her claws and sliced them in half. They clattered to the ground in pieces, and before either person thought of a remark, Wade fired twice at the north wall. Again, no reaction. The bullets didn't even rebound, instead they fell to the ground.

"Well that was more anticlimactic than I was hoping." He carried the gun with him as he returned to stand beside her.

"It appears they have thought well ahead." Laura commented. "I believe they plan to keep us here for a while, though I can not fathom why. There appears to be no measures in place for testing, so we cannot be here because of Weapon X."

He stared down at her with his eyes squinted. "Okay. Now I have to say it, you seem familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

"We have met on multiple occasions." She didn't look at him, instead she wandered to the north wall and examined the glass. "Though I have met you more than you have met me, in a sense."

"In a sense of … what? Did you have a wet dream about me?" He grinned.

"It was a trip to the future. Myself and the rest of those who made up X-Force at the time met you, after you escaped from accidentally locking yourself in a freezer for eight hundred years." She replied without looking back at him.

"Sounds like something I'd do." He nodded.

"But what about the other times? You say we have met on multiple occasions, so can you give me some ideas?" He asked.

Laura held up a hand to shush him.

"Seriously, I want to know I don't remember meeting someone so hot. I-"

"Be quiet." Laura commanded.

"Did you just-"

"Shut up. I hear voices." She stated angrily.

"Well so do I, but you don't see me-"

She ripped the gun from his hands and shot him in the leg, and then she pushed the gun back at his chest, and he grabbed it as his leg healed. She turned back to the glass and got closer to it. "I think there are people on the other side. I can almost make out their shape."

Before Wade could comment or shoot her. The room filled with bright light from holes on the ceiling that they hadn't previously noticed. The black glass that was both north and south walls now appeared clear, and they could see crowds of finely dressed people on either side of their room. Past the crowds were more cells of people they could recognize staring around them in confusion. Two people to cell, each just like theirs. Each a hero or villain with powers, either mutant or otherwise. The people outside the cells were plainly human. They stared in the cells with grins and pointing at each of them. Laura and Wade both noticed the suited men and women leading the groups of people. Outside each cell was a stand planted to the ground giving the back story and name of each member the cell held. In the glass's reflection, they could see their own names and histories reflected back at them.

As another group of people made their way past the glass, Laura turned to Wade. "We are in a zoo for their entertainment."

He smirked as she turned back to the window. "Then why don't we give them something to watch?"

Snikt! She unsheathed her claws and stabbed them through his thigh.

"Will you stop that?" He shouted and pulled her claws out of his leg.

"I gave them something to watch." She replied in such a flat tone, that it took him a moment to realize she'd made a joke.

Together they watched the last group walk past their cell, and after a few minutes they heard a heavy set of doors open and close. The lights remained on, and everyone looked around, as if waiting for a bomb to go off.

The crackle of a cassette tape beginning echoed through their cell, and from the looks of the others, they figured they heard it as well. Laura counted five seconds before a deep male voice started to speak. "Welcome each and every one of you. You should be honored to be here. I am the Gamesmaster. One of you knows me very well, and the rest of you will know me soon. You were each chosen specially for your history, your pain. I feed off pain, emotional trauma. At this moment you are all feeding me. You ask why I have brought you here, but it is not so simple as one might think. In my previous host, I had what seemed more than my fill, but it was not enough. I needed more. I collected you all, and together you will all make me stronger so I will be able to shed my shadowed form and possess my original body once more. Keep in mind, my name. I am the Gamesmaster. You will all find yourself facing trials with the one you are paired with, and each trial is designed to allow me to get the most out of you. Some of you will not survive this, but each of you are offered the same opportunity. Succeed through all thirteen trials and I will release you and your partner, fail and you will remain here as endless feeders for me. Your first trials will begin tomorrow. For now, get to know your partner, after all, your life is in their hands. Your first mealtime will be brought to you in an hour."

The lights and the sound died at once, and once again, Laura and Wade found their cell barely illuminated by the lights above their beds. Laura's jaw was dropped and her expression frozen.

"What's wrong?" Wade asked.

Laura shook her head. "It does not matter. We must find a way out."

**A/N:** **Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Feel free to review. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but keep your flames to yourself.**


	2. Chapter 2: Fruitless Efforts

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Again, if you don't like it, don't read it. Constructive criticism is already welcome, but if you flame it will be ignored. The following chapter will be the story of how they first met, and again that is my headcanon, it's not going to change just because people don't agree with or like it. Well hope you enjoy.**

**Fruitless Efforts**

Laura felt Wade watching her. He sat in one of the chairs at the table, while she went over every point in the room. She checked the creases between the walls, and when that proved fruitless, she turned her attention to the cage door. She hoisted herself up again, and she ran her fingers along the edge between the door and the ceiling.

"It does not appear to be bolted in. I am not quite sure what is holding it up." Laura spoke aloud.

Wade shrugged and stood. He walked over to the lockers at the foot of her cot. He glanced up at her as he passed. "You can always try pushing it open. That might work."

Laura turned her head and looked at his back as he opened the first locker. "That is not even logical. Why would they put us in a cage with the door unlocked?"

"Maybe they figured if you climb on the door, you can't push it, so who would be able to open it?" His attention was only half on her. He'd found a deck of cards and decide to keep them. He dug through the rest of the contents finding six works of literature, two books of brain puzzles he cast off as being for the girl hanging from the ceiling, a book of mad-libs along with a blank notebook, and a set of ink pens. He closed the locker, keeping the cards in his hand, and he opened the second one finding changes of clothes that had to be for Laura with their shapely and revealing nature. The third locker contained multiple suits and masks for him, but the fourth and fifth was empty. "Why give us empty lockers?"

Laura jumped down from the door and passed Wade by as she walked to the lockers and he returned to the table. She opened the fourth locker and looked at the roof and floor. The lockers appeared to be made in two pieces as evident by the seal lining the locker roof holding it in the wall. Laura climbed in the locker, ignoring the attention of the man watching her from his chair. She ejected one of her claws and turned it so it lay flat while she slid it up into the seal. When her knuckles lay thrush against the ceiling, she pulled her claw back.

"The wall is hollow." Laura climbed out of the locker and shut it. "If I can remove the lockers from the wall, we may be able to-"

Her words were cut off at the echo of the heavy door creaking open and slamming shut. Laura rushed to the north wall and bent down so she was closer to the level of the slot. The churning rumble of wheels accompanied by exacting footsteps and the whistling of a tune she was sure she'd never heard made its way toward her. Whoever it was paused every six feet, and she heard something slide across the floor. When he came to her cell, she moved her face back from the slot, and two trays slid through to the room. She pushed them out of her way without sparing them a glance, and she watched through the hole as a pair of black patent leather shoes draped in black slacks, walked around a stainless steel cart and began pushing it onward. Laura stood and turned to find Wade lifting a tray carrying a stack of wrapped tacos and a bottle of water. He carted it back to the table, and Laura lifted her own tray, finding a bowl of Thai food topped with hot peppers along with a bottle of water. She sat her tray on the table across from Wade and sat in her chair. She eyed him as he unwrapped a taco and lifted the bottom of his mask to take a bite.

"You are not going to eat that." Laura commanded.

He froze, taco centimeters from his mouth. "Can you not see me? I am about to swallow this thing whole."

"You should not eat it." Laura glanced at her food and picked up the plastic fork they provided her. She used the fork to move her food around and examine it. "They could have put something in it."

"I am immune to poisonings, and it's a taco. I'm going to eat it." He argued and took a bite before she could stop him.

"You are incredibly stupid." Laura's statement was simple, but the look in her eyes as she stared at her food indicated that she wanted to do the same. She opted to lift the bottle of water laying on its side and taking a sip, leaving the rest untouched.

"The water isn't contaminated but my food is?" He countered with a mouth full of taco.

Laura stood and sat her bottle of water on the table. "I am going to take a shower. Listen for anything that sounds suspicious and tell me what happened when I return."

He didn't offer her a response as his concentration was fully focused on the third taco he now shoved in his mouth.

Laura walked to the bathroom and shut the door and locked it behind her. She started the shower and soon steam filled up the room, and she undressed and climbed in. Scalding water coated her skin, but she remained unaware of the extreme temperatures. After her first year living at the school with Logan, he had seen how red her skin was after she was on her way to join the kids in the library, and he asked her what happened. She could not grasp his meaning as she has just taken a shower, and later when she washed her hands in the bathroom Sooraya burned her hands when trying to use the water after her. It was determined that she'd become so accustomed to such extreme heats from her years at the facility, that now she could no longer tell when something was hot. Even at the very moment in the shower, the water didn't quite seem hot enough.

As the thought rolled over in her head, the temperature seemed to rise. She closed her eyes and let the water massage the muscles in her back, and the temperature started to rise even more. It continued until she could not breathe. Her eyes opened and the room was red and she could hear an alarm sounding. She was no longer in a bathroom taking a shower, Laura was in a containment tube, strapped to a slab that scalded her skin. It continued to grow hotter, and she felt herself choke. She began coughing until she could taste the copper sting of blood in the back of her throat. She tried to swallow it back down, but lying on her back limited her ability to do so. Her eyes frantically searched for an escape, but she froze as she saw her skin and muscle melt away to revel white hot bones on her arms. Her flesh and tissue dripped off her body to pool on the floor, and she was immobile. She tried to call for help, but the blood choking her throat left her mute. Tears ran with blood and streaked her cheeks as the skin on her face melted away, and she tried to dig her nails into the sides of her legs to start her healing factor. It wasn't working. She tried to push out her claws, knowing that she would be able to save herself if only she could kickstart her healing, but her claws never came. She closed her eyes and decided she was going to die. She told herself it would be okay, that she had wanted this for a long time. But as she opened her eyes to stare death in the face as it came for her, she found herself again in the shower with the water barely warm enough.

Laura quickly finished her shower and got dressed. She left the room and found Wade sitting at the table playing a card game with what must've been an invisible person as a hand of cards sat in front of her chair. She watched him sit his own cards down and pick up the other hand and take a card from it. She arched an eyebrow but remained silent as she walked over to her bed and sat down.

"How was your shower?" He asked her and looked her over.

"Uneventful," She lied.

"Are you sure? You were in there a long time." The mask stretched where his mouth was, indicating that he was grinning.

"I do not understand what you are implying." Laura's face remained blank, and this time she really told the truth.

He sighed. "Well you're no fun."

She watched him take another card from the invisible opponent's hand and set a pair of cards aside, faces down. He repeated this twice more before the curiosity got the better of her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm playing Go Fish with my pal here." He indicated with his hand to the empty chair.

Laura turned her head to the side, looking at the chair, like a dog trying to understand a sound. "I am afraid I do not understand."

"Do you wanna play me for a hand?" Wade offered. "He's getting bored since he keeps beating me."

Laura's brow creased with lines. What was she supposed to respond to? "I am afraid I do not know how to play Go Fish."

"It's easy." Wade shooed the person from the chair and motioned for Laura to join him. She looked around the room as if to make sure she weren't missing something, and she sat across from him. He picked up the cards and shuffled them before re-dealing. "You look at your hand of cards and set aside any pairs you might have. Then we ask each other for cards. Like I'll ask for the Queen of Diamonds, and if you have it-"

"I do not." Laura interrupted.

"That's fine. Neither do I." He countered.

"Yes, you do." Laura argued.

Wade froze and sat back. "No, I don't."

"Yes, you have it." Laura glanced to her hand. "You also have the four of clubs, the six of spades, the ten of hearts, the jack of clubs, the ace of hearts, and the nine of diamonds."

Wade's mouth dropped open, and he looked from his hand and back to her. "You cheated."

"I most certainly did not." Laura replied.

"You had to. How else did you know my hand?" He asked.

"Simple deduction." Laura sat her cards back on the table. "The way you placed the cards back in the deck and divided them to shuffle, I took into account what I held and what I knew was still in the pile, and that left me with the seven cards you are holding."

"When we get out of here, I'm taking you to play poker." He picked up deck and their hands and shuffled again. "Only we split the money 60-40, and you don't say the other players' cards or your own aloud."

"If I am playing, then it is only fair that we split the money 80-20 if I should win." Laura presented.

His masked lined around his eyes. "But I am teaching you how to play."

"I know how to play. Logan taught me. I simply told you I was not aware how to play Go Fish, a game which I still do not understand. If the object is to trade cards, then I would win as I had the upper hand in knowing the deck." Laura explained.

"I'm aware." He groaned and covered his face with his hands. "I give up."

Laura didn't speak for ten of his heartbeats. "I have upset you. I am sorry."

He peaked at her through his fingers. "What?"

"I am not accustomed to social normality, and I do not altogether know how to treat situations I am put into. I have upset you in some way, though I do not understand why, and I should like you to accept my apology as I know no other way of correcting my error." Laura's argument was presented so eloquently, he dropped his hands to the table and squinted at her.

"Are you a robot?"

"Though that is something I hear quite often, I assure you I am not," she said.

His hands found the stack of cards again, and he watched her while he absentmindedly played with the cards, shuffling them repeatedly. "You said we've met, but I still don't know where or when. Care to help me out?"

Laura gave a single nod. "I will tell you of how we first met, but that is all for now. I need to rest after and you must stay awake to keep watch while I sleep, afterwards, we shall trade shifts."

He ignored the last of what she said. "Okay, continue."


	3. Chapter 3: Final Revelations

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: I lied. I decided to write a little in Wade's head for the flashback of how they first met because I figured it'd be interesting to see his reaction to seeing a ten year old girl slaughter a slew of heavily armed mercenaries. If you don't agree with his actions, I'm sorry. It's just the way my headcanon is, but if you feel like I was OOC, leave me a constructive review of why and I will attempt to correct it. I'm not as adept at writing for him as I am at writing for Laura. (She's my baby.) Also, I don't know if the age is correct. I couldn't remember if it was ten or twelve when this event occurred and my Marvel Unlimited account isn't open for financial reasons, so if you can tell me if I got the age correct or not, I would greatly appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Tell me what you think. I always wondered how X got back to the facility, so this was my headcanon of how it happened.**

**Oh briefly, since I wrote the flashback in Wade's head, I had to include the voices. Anything in bold-italics is the 1st voice, anything in bold-underline is the 2nd voice, and anything in plain (no bold, no italics) is Wade responding to the voices. **

**Final Revelations**

Laura's head leaned to the side, and her eyes appeared distant. They didn't have the same cold, calculating stare that told Wade she was studying him like he was a lab rat and she were looking to spot weaknesses in his performance. Now, the pain that illuminated her emerald green eyes expanded to swallow the up whole, and it was hard to even tell if she was mentally there with him in that cell. When she finally spoke, her voice wasn't the hollow shell that she used when giving orders or stating her concise facts, instead layers of emotion laced her every word. "I was ten at the time. Doctor Rice took me on a mission, and he abandoned me. He dropped me from the helicopter, and shot the men with him before flying away. I was left surrounded by dozens of heavily armed mercenaries, and they fired on me. I fought them, I killed every single one, and when the last body fell, you were standing a few feet away watching me."

The occurrence came back to Wade now, and he drifted off in his memory as she continued telling the story.

_-flashback-_

_Wade had just finished a job in the area and he was leaving the country. He'd taken to the street to _borrow_ a car, seeing as his teleporter was temporarily out of commission, so he didn't have to walk or pay cab fare to reach the private airport two cities south. After finding a car, a nice Italian sports car with a sunroof, he drove toward the airport, and he came to the pier where he spotted gunfire and what appeared to be a fight within a large group of mercenaries. His interest was peaked, and he parked his new car and got out, hoping to catch some action, but as he neared, he realized things were not as they seemed. The men were firing on a little girl, a little girl with a familiar set of claws. The men, though firing all the weapons they had, appeared no match for the young child as she killed each one of them with the fierce precision of someone trained since birth. She yanked her claws from the gut of the last man, who happened to be blocking her view of him, and as he slumped over like a marionette who suddenly had his strings cut. The girl set her deadly gaze on him. __**Kill it! Kill it!**__ The voices shouted at him, and his instinct was to draw one of his weapons, but his cockiness got the better of him and he shrugged it off. _She's just a kid, _he told them._ **She just killed three dozen men! And now she's got you in her sights! **_The voices egged him on.__**Kill it! Kill it!**_ _He chose to ignore them, besides something from the way she was watching him told him that she did not see him as a threat now but if he pointed a gun at her, that would change._

_ "What's your name, kid?" He asked._

_ She didn't speak._

_ "Silent type, huh?" He nodded. "I know someone like that. You remind me a lot of him."_

_ She remained silent. Her head angled to the side, and she watched him with the smooth calculations of a trained killer._

_ "Where do you live?" He pressed, but again she didn't respond._

_ "You have any parents?" He briefly contemplated just taking her to Wolvie himself, but when thoughts of being accused of kidnapping the child and having to deal with those repercussions, he decided against it. After all, how exactly would he explain to Wolverine and his Super Pals that he came to bring them the girl? __**Kill it! It's the only way!**_

_ Wade let out a deep breath. "I'm leaving, if you need a ride home or to whatever teleportation device you arrived from, I'm offering, otherwise you're on your own."_

_ When she did not respond right away, Wade shrugged and turned to head back to the car._

_ She only spoke one word. "Why?"_

_ He stopped and looked back at her. "I'm trying to fulfill my good deed for the day. Yesterday, I stopped an old lady from getting hit by a bus after I pushed her in the street, and today, I'm offering a child a ride back to her home planet. You coming or not?"_

_ "I don't know you," The girl stated._

_ "And your parents taught you not to get into cars with strangers? Good. I'm Deadpool. Now, can we leave?" He asked._

_ "I accept your offer," she replied and waited for him to begin walking to the car first and she followed him._

_ In the car, she remained silent most of the ride except for giving the occasional direction. She led him about an hour out of his way, and his patience was wearing thin. He'd talked non-stop on the drive, which was not unusual for him, but he would've liked her to respond as most of his conversation was filled with questions directed at her._

_ In a brief lull in the one-sided conversation, she startled him. "X-23."_

_ "What?" He shot her a sideways glance before returning his eyes to the road._

_ "You previously asked for my name. I am X-23."_

_ "Odd name, but who am I to judge? What's the X stand for? No wait, what's the numbers stand for?" He asked._

_ She fell silent again._

_ They reached a long stretch of road lined with thick trees on either side, and she told him to stop. He pulled the car to the side of the road and tried to look in the distance to see if he could see a building, but he couldn't see anything besides trees and more trees._

_ "There's nothing here," he stated._

_ "This is as far as you can come." She commanded and opened the car door._

_ The girl climbed out and walked around the front of the vehicle. He jumped out of the car before she could reach the line of trees._

_ "Hey . . . you," He called. She stopped and faced him. "I don't like this, and that's saying something."_

_ She didn't speak._

_**What are you doing, you idiot?**__The voices started. _**Yeah! We're getting rid of her. What do you plan to lug a kid around with you? **_That they were agreeing with each other was startling. __**That wouldn't cause a problem with child services. **__He could feel the eye roll that accompanied that statement. _I'll just take her to Logan. It looks like it's his problem anyways. _He ignored anything they yelled at him and turned his attention back to the kid who had begun walking again. He quickened his pace and caught up with her. Wade grabbed her arm to pull her to a halt, and as she turned to him, he saw the look in her eyes that told him that was a mistake. _Oh well, I can heal._ Snikt! Her claws sprung free, and she cut off the hand that held her._

_ "Damn it!" He shouted and picked up his hand and held it to his stump so it could reattach. She watched him with curiosity alight in her eyes as she witnessed someone else heal. The only other person she knew of who was able to do that was Weapon X, and this was not him. "I'm trying to help you, and believe me, that must mean you're in deep shit if _I_ want to help you because I don't help people, I cause problems." _**For once he speaks the truth. **Shut up!

_"You cannot help me." Her tone was cold, detached._

_ "I'm a pretty useful guy." He argued. "Let me take you to a . . . uh . . . _friend_ of mine, the guy I said you remind me of. He'll be able to help you."_

_ She turned her head to the side as if trying to understand what he said, or maybe she was just contemplating the offer. "I must return."_

_ "At least let me take you there then." He crossed his arms in front of him. "You shouldn't be walking that distance alone."_

_ Her brows arched upward in what looked like possible surprise, though it was hard to tell since she never showed previous emotional responses. "You cannot take me where I must go. If you follow me, I cut off your legs and hang them from trees in opposite directions."_

_**I told you to kill it! Now, kill it!**__ The first voice reiterated his first command._** That's an interesting threat. How would you get your legs down? **_The second only seemed amused._

_ He decided the best course of action was to stand his ground. _Children like boundaries. _**Where did you get that? **_From a documentary I watched. **That wasn't a documentary! That was Arrested Development!**_ He shrugged. "What makes you think you'd be able to best me?"_

_**What are you doing? Are you crazy?**_ **Did you really ask that?**_ The girl moved fast, very fast. In an instant, she spun on him, claws protruding from her boots as she swung her leg, and she sliced through both of his legs. They fell from his body, and his torso fell to lie back on the ground. The girl took his legs and began walking into the woods. He watched her toss the first one on the ground about a mile ahead, and the second she continued to carry until she disappeared in the distance. He assumed she'd dropped it somewhere. He used his arms to drag himself until he reached his first leg and reattached it, and he used a thick log to help him walk until he found his second leg, which he came to about two miles later._

_-end flashback-_

Laura watched him, her eyes still distant, but there was a slight recognition of consciousness floating on the surface.

"You said you'd hang my legs from trees. Why didn't you?" He asked.

She blinked, and he watched what appeared to be a small smile dance across her lips before flitting away. "I simply needed to delay you from being able to follow me. I decided taking you legs and leaving them a good distance from you would be enough to allow me time to get away, while hanging them from trees would have allotted me two years at the most, and I did not need that much time."

"I wouldn't need two years to get them." He argued.

She hesitated to speak for one minute. "Why did you offer to help me?"

He shrugged. "Hey, I could've gotten something out of it. Saving you and bringing you to Wolvie would've done wonders for my Street Cred."

Laura arched an eyebrow. "You confuse me greater than anyone else."

"Awe, that is the nicest thing you've ever said to me." He grinned beneath his mask.

Laura stood from her chair and returned to her cot. She didn't bother covering up with the blanket, and she remained fully clothed, even with her boots still on, as if ready for combat at any moment. "I will wake in four hours, and then you will sleep. One of us keep watch at all times."

"I will try to be quiet, but I can't promise anything," he lied. He knew there was no possibility of him being silent.

"Constant chatter irritates me, however, I have been trained to block out irritants. If you must make noise so as to hear your own voice or fill up the void of silence, it will not disturb me, only create slight annoyance." She explained, and before he could respond, she added, "Goodnight, Deadpool."

"You can call me Wade, and goodnight, X-23."

"Call me, Laura." She returned to her silent state and closed her eyes. He never could tell if she really fell asleep or not, and he managed to resist his urge to poke her to find out.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave me constructive reviews. Thank you.**


	4. Chapter 4: Beginning

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: This chapter is pretty short, but it's kind of like the intro or start in for the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Beginning**

Laura opened her eyes and found herself staring up at the ceiling of the cell. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she'd told herself it was all just a dream . . . the beginnings of a nightmare. She told her herself that when she awoke, she would be in her bed at Logan's school in the room he'd set aside for her even though she didn't attend and only visited when she felt the odd longing in her chest which Jubilee explained meant she missed him. She'd always dismissed this as just needing guidance. Still staring up at the ceiling and realizing she was anywhere but her room with him two doors away, recalling the memory of the last time she stayed there and hearing him open the door at midnight, the scent of his worry filling the room. He knew she wasn't asleep, she'd tried to sleep, but it was nearly impossible for her. So much had happened, she didn't trust anyone except him, and he understood. He'd closed the door back, content that she wasn't missing again, and that she wasn't crying. As the memory faded from the light of her mind's eye, she found herself wondering if he would even notice she was missing this time. Would he even come find her?

"Okay, the ceiling really isn't that interesting. Are you going to keep staring at it?" Wade interrupted her thoughts.

She turned to look at him. He held the book of mad libs open to a random page, and a pen perched in his hand. "It is your turn to sleep."

He waved her off. "Nah, don't need it. Give me a noun."

"Why?" She sat up and brushed her hair back from her face.

"Have you ever done mad libs?" He asked, looking at her over the top of the page.

"What are mad libs?" She arched a brow.

He huffed. "You fill in the blanks with whatever they ask for, and then it's supposed to tell a funny story."

Laura stared at him. "Murder."

"What?" The right side of his mask above his eye rose slightly, as if he were trying to arch his brow.

"You requested a noun," she stated as she moved to sit in her chair.

"That's a verb. I thought you were supposed to be smart," he countered.

"Murder is also a noun. For example, there was a murder. I committed a murder. A flock of crows is called a murder," she explained.

"The point is to fill it with swear words and perverted words," he argued, while he wrote something on the page in front of him.

"I do not understand." A foreign scent wafted up her nose, and she listened to the sound of heavy footsteps through the gate door from the center of the room.

"It's supposed to be fun-" Wade stopped when he saw her stand and approach the door. He stood and sat the book and pen on the table.

Her body grew rigid, and she stared up through the bars of the door. Six men gathered around the door. She couldn't see weapons on them, but she could smell the stench of gun powder. The rapid beat of their hearts told her they were terrified.

"Step away from the door." One of the men commanded.

"I wouldn't tell her what to do, if I were you." Wade returned as he stepped beside her.

"Both of you stand down!" The man shouted.

Snikt!

"Oh now you've gone and pissed her off. Good job, guys." Wade began to give a slow clap. "What next, you gonna come down here and-"

He was cut off as three metal canisters were tossed in the room, and clattered to the floor. The canisters clicked and began to fill the room with a thick smoke-like gas.

"You think that's going to do any damage?" Wade called up to them. "We're immune to . . ." He yawned. "Hey, why am I-"

"Wade, cover your nose and mouth!" Laura commanded. She covered her own, but she'd already breathed it in. Her eyes grew heavy, and her muscles grew weak. She slumped forward to the floor, and with her last glance cast to Wade finding he'd already fallen asleep, her eyes fell closed and she was without consciousness.


	5. Chapter 5: Into Wilderness

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Quickly, I don't believe it was stated yet, but Laura is 19 when this occurs, so this is not during or after anything that is happening or happened in the canon universe. Hope you enjoy it.**

**Into Wilderness**

The grumblings of a bear shattered Laura's dream, for which she was thankful. In her dream, her nightmare, she stood before a window in a empty room, and she stared down on her eight year old self as she sat in a chair and was skinned alive only for it to grow back and have them start all over. She watched herself cry and she heard herself scream. Laura tried breaking the glass. She pounded on the window with her fists. She brought out her claws and scratched and cut. She couldn't break through. No matter how hard she hit or scratched, the glass remained solid. A hand rested on her shoulder and she saw Zander Rice's reflection in the glass, staring down at her child-self with a malicious grin cracking his face. There were no words exchanged, but that grin said everything. When the grunts and grumbles broke through, she opened her eyes and sat up. Wade still lay on his side in the grass, and Laura looked about them. Towering ferns and trees covered them in a nest of grass. Vines hung from the branches, and large flowers bloomed around them. Laura nudged Wade with the toe of her boot. He groaned and turned over.

"Wake up." She nudged him again.

Wade groaned again, but this time he stretched out and opened his eyes, though Laura couldn't see due to the face mask. When he saw the trees and fern fronds hanging over his head, he froze and then sat upright so quick it was as if he'd laid on a spring. "Where are we?"

"I am not sure." Laura walked to the edge of the retreat and pushed back a bundle of leaves that hung in the way. Wade stood at the sight she revealed with her simple action, and he joined her side. A seemingly endless expanse of uninhabited land spread out before them. Mountains rose on the horizon with smoke curling off into the clouds. Green grass rolled over uneven land, and forest traced the outline, creating a glorious valley of lush earth.

"I've seen better." He shrugged.

"What?" Laura arched a brow and looked at him the question weighing in her green eyes.

"Boobs, Laura," he retorted with a grin stretching his mask. His eyes may have glanced at her own once or twice already since he'd awoken. "You should know, you have a glorious pair."

Her forehead creased with lines of confusion. She opted not to respond, and she faced the landscape and began walking down the hill they were perched on.

"What is even the point of bringing us here?" He called after her and began his own journey down the hill after her.

"I do not know." Laura replied.

"I mean, what's the challenge? For us to survive walking across some land? That's nothing. I can do that in my sleep." Wade continued.

"Do you ever stop talking?" Laura asked.

"Only when I'm sleeping." He smiled.

"You talk in your sleep, and you snore almost as loud as Logan," she stated without passing him a glance.

"Well then no." He remained a few steps behind her, not because he was slower because he wasn't, but because he figured if they came upon any traps or trouble, she'd be his heads up. "So why do you think we're here?"

"I am not sure." She kept her eyes ahead and tried to ignore his continuous chatter.

A loud boom sounded in the distance and rippled across the atmosphere. The ground shook, and Wade reached to grab Laura's arm before she lost her balance. Laura stumbled, and she tripped into a hole they didn't see they were soon to step in. She reacted fast and grabbed hold of the side.

"What the hell was that?" Wade shouted.

"I do not know, but I do not think that is our greatest concern at this very moment." The ground was crumbling beneath her hands.

He crouched down and held out a gloved hand. "Give me your hand. I'll pull you out."

"No."

"What?" He yelled.

"Whatever that was is up there still, and it is larger than the both of us. This appears to be a cave, we can use it to travel under it and bypass whatever it is." Laura reasoned. She ejected her claws and attempted to dig them in the earth, but it was too soft.

"Fine. What do you want me to do?" He asked.

"Get a long vine, and we will climb down here." She adjusted her grip, but more dirt fell away. "Hurry, we do not have much time."

He nodded. "Right, vine. I'll be right back."

He stood and turned to run to the edge of the woods. "Oh look, a butterfly." A large monarch butterfly the size of his hand flew in front of his face.

"Wade!" Laura screamed."

"Oh right. Vine. I'm going." He ran toward the woods.

Laura waited. More and more dirt crumbled and fell away. She held on and waited and counted every second. He returned two minutes later and knelt on the ground before the hole. He unsheathed one of his katanas and stabbed it into the ground.

"Just hold on." He reaffirmed.

"Thank you. I was not sure what I should be doing at this moment." Laura retorted, and he jerked his head in her direction.

"You are spending too much time with that Old Man." He tied the end of the vine around the hilt of his sword and dropped the rest of it in the hole. Laura grabbed the vine with one hand after the other, and she slowly crawled down and lowered herself into the cavern. After she'd landed, Wade followed after her. Laura turned her back to him while he climbed down, and she scanned over the cavern. It appeared to continue on for a few miles. The ground started to give way with the strain. Earth crumbled into the cave, and rained over Wade's head. Inches from the ground, he watched as a hunk of dirt tumbled inward, leaving his sword open. He only had a handful of seconds. He glanced down and decided he was close enough to the ground, and he jumped. He landed without a scratch, but the jolt on the makeshift rope was all the sword needed. It plunged through the remaining dirt and hurtled straight towards Laura. Wade launched toward Laura and tackled her, pushing her and himself out of the way. A crack sounded as they landed a few feet away, and the katana stabbed through the ground where Laura had just been standing.

Laura leveled her eyes at the sword and looked back at whites of Wade's face mask hovering above her. She ignored the pain shooting through her leg and foot. "Thank you."

"Sorry, I don't know why I did that. You can heal." He stood up and dusted his suit off, and he held a hand out to help her up. She took his hand, and he pulled her up, but she stumbled and had to lean against him. "Hey, I thought you weren't the handsy type. Not that I'm complaining. Grab all you want."

"My ankle is broken." Laura pushed herself off him and tried to stand on her own, but her foot couldn't hold her weight, and she leaned against the cave wall before she fell on him again.

"You'll be fine. You'll heal." He reached out to grab her arm to steady her, but he pulled back.

"I will not heal." Laura rested her head against the stone wall and her black hair fell away from her face.

"What? Why?" He asked.

"I am not healing. I cannot feel it mending." She dug her nails into her palms, hoping it would start the process if, but nothing happened.

"So you're saying-"

"Our healing factors are gone." Laura lifted herself away from the wall and looked away. "There is nothing here to make a splint."

"So we have to make this trip in the dark with you being handicapped." He groaned and took his katana from the ground and replaced it in its sheath.

"I could have died." Laura limped around him and began walking into the cave. "You would be stuck feeding him from our cell."

"He wouldn't get anything from me." Wade followed after her, sidestepping a set of rocks as he stepped down next to a small stream that trickled off somewhere deeper in the cave.

"You would not be here if he could not feed from you." Laura joined him by the stream, but she continued to walk before him.

"What makes you so positive?" He asked.

Laura didn't speak.

"You're the one who knows him." Wade announced.

She remained in her silent state and kept walking. The further they moved away from the light, the darker their surroundings became. Though as the outside light died away, they found the walls around them were illuminated a pale blue color. The transformation drew them to a halt, and Laura inched to the wall to examine it. Tiny worms covered the cave walls, and they gave off a bioluminescent glow, allowing them to see everything around them. Laura's own green eyes caught the light and reflected it, turning her eyes a luminous teal.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Wade asked as she stepped back.

She faced him and gave a solemn nod. "Yes. I know him."

"I mean I kind of know him too. It's just odd that he would proclaim that only one knows him when I-" Wade stopped momentarily and watched her turn away and begin limping forward again. "So are you going to tell me what happened? Or am I just not privileged to the story?"

"I do not wish to speak any longer." She called back without stopping.

"Well that's no surprise." He added to himself and followed after her again.

Five miles in and there was still no sign that the cave would come to and end soon. They were beginning to regret their decision to use the passageway, though neither would speak of it, as that would mean admitting defeat. Laura ignored her ankle and the pain shooting through her leg with each step, and the more she walked the less she limped and started putting all her pressure on her foot.

"Let's rest for a little bit." Wade called to her.

"No, we should keep moving," Laura said.

"You need to rest your ankle. If we're going to make this trek, then you'll need to rest it." He reasoned.

Laura refused to admit he was right. "I have been through worse."

"So have I, but we have a long ways to go, and we're counting on each other to get out of this." He did admire her for wanting to face it head on.

Laura turned around and walked back to him. "Fine, we will rest. I do not need it though."

"I'm sure you don't." He smirked beneath his mask.

Laura sat down on the cold cave floor in front of the stream, and Wade sat beside her. He began humming something to himself, but she lost herself in her thoughts.

"What is the last thing you remember before waking up in the cell?" Laura asked, interrupting his song.

"I was on my way to my home with a sack full of burritos," he replied. "I don't even remember things going black."

"Me either." Laura stretched out her right leg, and she propped her chin on her left knee.

"What was the last thing you remember?" He asked.

"I was leaving the airport and on my way to visit Logan at the school." She sighed. It weighed heavily on her mind. "I do not even recall if I informed him I was coming."

"Do you visit him regularly?" Wade pushed the toe of his boot down on the top of the stream and watched it ripple.

"I have for a year." She stared at the water ebbing under his boot.

"Why?" He couldn't think of anything else to say on the topic.

"I do not wish to discuss it." Laura tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and she took in a deep breath and let it out through her nose. Two minutes of silence passed. "I am always hunted because of what I am and my past. I do not wish to recount those many times with you."

"What are you?" His mask creased with lines over the bridge of his nose and on the center of his forehead.

"Twenty-third, and only surviving attempt, to clone Weapon X, trained and tortured from birth to become the ultimate weapon. Weapon X-23. Sold for one million per pound to anyone who would have me kill, and with no shortage of buyers, my creators grew rich off me. Until I killed them." Laura's eyes were distant again.

"Beautiful story." He remarked. "So why the sudden attachment to Old and Grumpy?"

"Logan has legally adopted me. He attempted to be a father-figure, but he fell short. It was not his fault, though I know he blames himself. It is not easy to parent someone who cannot understand basic human emotion or interaction." Laura's chest rose as she took in another deep breath, and then she released it. "I was taken again a year ago. Chained to a slab inside a cage in a facility Mumbai as people performed experiments on me. It was not the first time something like this had happened. Once Daken, my brother, as I understand him to be, assisted in my capture and torture by a facility in another foreign land. This time, I do not know how I came to be there. I had fallen asleep in my room at Logan's school, and I awoke as I was. Logan found me after seven months. He had to put my body back together as my limbs were detached and my claws were removed so I would pose no threat. We agreed never to speak of what he did to the men who were responsible."

"I know Wolvie. I've had personal experience with his short temper, so I'm assuming he killed them." Wade commented.

"I will not speak of it." Laura reiterated.

"Why don't you get some sleep, and I'll wake you up in a couple of hours?" He offered.

"We do not need to be wasting time." Laura answered. "We do not know if we have limited time."

"We are not wasting time." He disputed. "You will get an hour of sleep, and then we will be on our way. When we rest again, I'll sleep. We'll have to sleep to keep our energy up."

Laura nodded and stretched out. She laid her head beside him on the stone floor. "Do not allow me to sleep for more than an hour."

"I won't." He agreed. "You make me sound irresponsible."

"Goodnight, Wade," was her only response, and she closed her eyes.

"Night." He gave a small nod and stretched out his legs before he began humming once more.


	6. Chapter 6: Saving Grace

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been busy with work and writing my own original work. The next chapter will get them out of this land, I promise. Hope you enjoy. Positive and constructive criticism is always welcome.**

**Saving Grace**

Laura watched Wade climb out of the cave. The scrape of him unsheathing his katanas reached her ears, and she began trying to climb. Blood sprayed over the hole, and the front half of a dinosaur fell behind her and landed on the ground with a plop. She kept climbing, and she could hear the squeals from dinosaurs as they were cut in two and blood rained over the grass. When she reached the opening, Wade's gloved hands grabbed her waist and pulled her up. She glanced around them. The pod of Eoraptors lay on the now crimson stained grass, and some still twitched. Just as they turned their back on the pod, a shrieking roar sounded behind them followed by a Mapusaurus, quite possibly the largest carnivorous dinosaur to ever exist, shaking the ground with five very heavy footsteps.

"Holy shit!" Wade yelled. He turned and started running.

Laura turned with him and tried to run, but the jolt was too much. Her ankle gave out, and she fell to the ground. "Wade!"

He faced her again, and halted. The monster was coming towards her, and she was trying to stand once more. He groaned and ran back for her. In a less than graceful swoop, he lifted her over his shoulder and turned back around and ran with her to the edge of the forest, yelling as the dinosaur ran after them. He didn't look back. It would just slow him down, and besides he was sure Laura would let him know if they were soon to be eaten alive. That was when he heard the snikt of her claws and another shrieking roar. He held tight onto Laura, but she lurched forward and before he could stop her, she was pulled from his arms. Wade turned and saw her rising up with the dinosaur's long neck. Her claws were dug into his face, and he tried to shake her off. Another shriek pierced the sky, and the dinosaur bobbed his head. Laura used her claws to climb to his right eye, and she cut out his eyes before moving to the other and doing the same. The dinosaur cried out in pain and stomped about and shook his head. Laura climbed to the top of his skull and began cutting away at his thick scaly flesh until she reached his bone and began digging at that too. When just enough was out of her way, Laura reached inside his skull and sliced his brain into thirds. The dinosaur let out a final shriek and began to teeter. Laura scattered to the side he wouldn't land on, and she held on. Wade ran for the forest as the dinosaur began falling in his direction, and soon seven layers of trees were crushed to the ground. Wade stepped out just behind the very next layer of trees and watched Laura climb down from the dinosaur. She hobbled over to him and cut three branches off the tree he hid behind before shoving them in his hands.

"Make a splint." She commanded and sat on the nose of the dead dinosaur.

Wade tore some vines free from the same tree and sat in front of her, fashioning the makeshift splint on her ankle.

"That was stupid." He scolded.

"It was not." Laura brushed her hair over her shoulders. "He would have chased us into the forest, and we would be unable to escape. It was our only option."

"You coulda died." He protested and helped her stand.

"No, I knew what I was doing." She took her first three steps to test the strength of the splint. It wasn't strong, but it would do.

"You are too cocky in yourself." He argued and began walking ahead of her, following the line of trees so as not to lose sight of their destination.

"As are you." Laura followed him, but she didn't attempt to catch up with him.

"What? I have grown out of my-" He started.

"I told you to let me leave the cave first so I could help you with the Eoraptors. You refused. You believe you do not need anyone's help." Laura stated in response.

"You're crippled, and I didn't need your help." He kept walking, refusing to look back at her.

"I did not need your help either." Laura pointed out and stepped over a fallen tree trunk. "Is that why you are upset?"

"I'm not upset." He replied.

"You are lying." She didn't even have to sniff or listen to his heartbeat to tell her so.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" He yelled.

"I have been told, but I do not understand why." Laura halted.

Wade stopped walking and turned back to her. "You coulda died and I woulda been stuck here forever. Do you have no concern for your own life at all?"

"No." It was just one word but it probably held all the emotion ever shaking her veins to life.

For a brief uncharacteristic moment, Wade didn't know what to say. "Well you can't die here or else I'm fucked. I won't live in a cage, Laura."

"Neither will I." Laura's eyes took on a hardened edge, and he knew why she risked her life in that instant but he didn't speak it.

He still wasn't okay with it. "We can only get through this together. For now on, don't pull some stupid stunt that can get you eaten or crushed or killed in any way when we don't have our healing factors."

Laura nodded. "As long as you do the same, I agree."

"Deal." He gave a single nod and began walking again.

Laura fell silent once more and followed him while he hummed to himself. They were walking for what felt like seven more hours but was really two when the sun set for the evening and the full moon glowed through the night. The two paused where they were on the trail. They were still a good distance from their destination, and Wade's shoulders were slumped forward and his muscles resonated with a hollow ache.

"You need to rest." Laura commanded. She turned aside and began climbing a tree.

"What are you doing?" Wade pulled her to a halt.

"We cannot sleep on the ground. We must rest in a tree so we have a greater vantage point." Laura explained. She turned back from him and began climbing again. He followed after her, and she let him lean against the trunk and she about a foot down from him on the same branch. "You rest. I will be sure to wake you when we should move, and I will not allow you to fall."

"Don't let me sleep more than two hours." He demanded.

Laura gave a single nod as he had moments earlier, and she fell silent once more so he could fall asleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Lost Traces

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Enjoy! Reviews are welcome! :)**

**Lost Traces**

A screech startled Wade awake, and he jolted up. Firm but small hands grabbed his forearms and held him still.

"It was just a Pteranodon." Laura released him once he steadied himself.

"Is that another dinosaur?" Wade asked.

"No." Just as the word left her mouth, a large reptile with a twenty foot wingspan flew over head and let out the same screech.

"I thought you said is wasn't a dinosaur!" Wade yelled.

"It is not a dinosaur. It is a Pterosaur." Laura stated.

"What's the difference?" Wade spoke in a disconcerted tone.

"Dinosaurs walked on erect legs, any reptile that did not possess erect legs, is not classified under the definition of a dinosaur." Laura paused.

Wade chuckled before she could continue. "You should say erect again. I like it."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "I do not understand your humor at times."

Wade sighed and began to climb down the tree while muttering something to himself. Laura remained reserved and climbed down after him.

As they reached the ground, another Pteranodon flew overhead and released a screech.

"These creatures do not even belong in the same time period," Laura said.

"That's your problem with this? Not that we might be eaten by them?" Wade asked.

"I did not say that was my only problem, nor did I claim it was at all a problem to begin with. I was merely stating an observation." Laura didn't wait for him any longer and began walking ahead of him toward their destination.

Wade caught up to her side and he hummed as they trekked across the distance, keeping in line of the trees and never stepping out in the open where they were easier prey.

Five hours passed, and the duo could hear the rapid flow of a river ahead of them, and just beyond that stood the large mountain they were going to have to climb. They walked nearer to the river and saw that it carved a deep crevice along the edge of the mountain. Fallen trees lay near the bank about a mile up from where they stood, and some lay across the river.

"C'mon." Wade started in that direction.

Laura hesitated and sniffed the air. Something wasn't quite right.

"Laura, c'mon." He called back to her.

Laura walked behind him and followed him onto the thick trunk of a fallen tree lying across the river. She caught the same scent that made her pause to sniff the air again. She pulled Wade to a halt and held up a hand to signify for him to wait. She looked around. The current in the river steadied almost to a stop, and the scent died off the air. Laura leaned over the edge of the log and peered into the water. She couldn't see anything through a thick black murkiness lining the bottom. The river began to ripple continuously, as if water was rolling off of something beneath it and away from them. Laura saw that the river was actually two shades, one dark brown and one black, and the blackness seemed to be moving when she caught the flicker of two large yellow eyes.

Laura jumped up and pushed Wade. "Run."

"What? Why?" Wade asked.

"Run!" She yelled.

Wade faced the end of the log when the head of a monstrous serpent lifted out of the water. It was at least three feet wide and twenty feet was already uncovered from the water, however, it appeared to still continue on under the water for another twenty feet if not more. The snake, called a Titanoboa, opened his mouth, revealing its fangs, and hissed before lunging toward the fallen tree. Wade and Laura ran for the edge of the log, but even as they reached the land, the snake dove back into the water and whipped its tail up and knocked Wade off the side of the cliff. Wade caught onto the edge and Laura leaned down and took hold of his forearms. He started to take hold of her, but she jerked back at the sound of a loud hiss. The snake snapped at them and Laura's body grew rigid. Her eyes narrowed and her claws came out. She stood, and Wade knew what was coming next.

"Laura, no!" He yelled just as she leapt toward the serpent. Wade took a deep breath and ignored the shouting in his head. He jumped upwards and landed in front of Laura, forcing her back before she could leave the embankment. Wade turned away from her and pulled his katanas from their sheaths clasped to his back, and he took a short running start and launched himself toward the snake angling for its throat just below its neck.

The serpent reared back to snap, but Wade reached it faster, stabbing his blades into the serpent's throat. It wheezed and gargled up blood, and it began to twist and shake to free itself. Wade used his swords like Laura used her claws and climbed to the back of the serpent's neck. Blood trailed down its body, and his let out a wheezing hiss. Wade cut away at the snake's body, trying to weaken the flesh so he could make a clean cut. The scales and flesh wore away, and he could see the pale vertebrae. With a leap in the air, Wade angled his katanas and as he reached the snake, he swiped the blades in towards each other and made a clean cut, severing the head from the body. Before the body could fall and leave Wade stranded in the river to suffer any other beasts that might lurk there, he took another short running start and leapt back toward the land where he resheathed his swords.

"You should not have done that." Laura commanded.

"You were gonna do the same thing." He argued.

Laura didn't speak. She put her back to him and faced the bottom of the mountain. She realized it wasn't nearly as large as she'd thought it appeared to be in the distance. With no words from her, she began climbing the side of the mountain, and Wade followed shortly after while he muttered to himself, which Laura ignored.

They reached the top of mountain about an hour later, and as they attempted to gaze down at what they expected to be a valley, they were met by a wall. The wall appeared as the natural sky, even changing with the time of day, but it barred any movement forward.

"What the fucking hell?" Wade yelled. He turned back and looked over the land they'd crossed. Even from where he stood, he could see the monstrous beasts roaming the earth. "We're trapped here with them!"

"No." Laura stated and her claws came out. She stabbed her claws through the wall, and they burrowed in the material though she couldn't tell what it was made of. She dragged her claws through the material, cutting a large hole for them to pass through. They pushed the chunk of wall inwards, and it fell away with no sound. Wade entered the room first, drawing his katanas as he stepped through, and Laura followed him, senses alert for anything unusual. They both halted once they entered, finding themselves back inside their poorly lit cell. They looked behind them and to each side, no signs of the wild land they'd just visited stayed with them. The makeshift brace holding Laura's ankle in place was now gone, and her bones were repaired in a way that she wasn't even sure she'd even broken them. She exchanged a look with Wade though she couldn't see his expression through his mask, still she was sure she was wondering the same as her. _Had they ever even left the room? Was it all in their head?_


	8. Chapter 8: Hollow

**Discalimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Enjoy! Reviews are always welcome! This chapter may seem a little short, so sorry if it is.**

**Hollow**

The repetitive tick from Wade tapping his pen on the table was resonating in Laura's mind, but she did her best to ignore it, staring at the ceiling above her. She had tried to sleep, as per their arrangement, but it was difficult with all that had happened playing over in her mind. He was sure to have noticed, but if he did, he kept his remarks to himself, literally. She could hear him chatter at different intervals, but never did he direct his words to her in the moment she lay there. In the first two hours since they found themselves back in their cell, Laura repeatedly checked her ankle for any signs of a fracture or scarring even though she knew her healing factor would leave no traces once it kicked in, and for whatever reason neither spoke of the events that took place in that early mixed up version of earth.

Laura sighed and sat up. Her hair fell back from her face and traced over her bare shoulders outlined by the straps of the black tanktop she found in the second locker. She turned around and reached over the head of her cot and picked up a fresh pair of boots, as the only marker that they'd been through anything were the holes slashed in the front of her boots where her foot claws extended. She pulled on the new pair of boots and began to fasten them over her black leather pants which she'd also found in the locker.

"What's on your mind, X?" Wade asked.

Laura glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, but she didn't speak. She stood and walked to the center of the room. From where she stood, she examined the door, a thought forming in her mind.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

She still didn't respond as she returned to where she stood just below the door. She leapt upwards and grabbed onto the bars and pulled herself up as close to the bars as she could get. She heard a heavy door squeak open and slam shut, and footsteps neared their cell. She pressed her face to the bars, trying to get a good view of who was coming towards her. She stretched out an arm through the bars and tried to see if there was anything for her to grab onto and bring in the cell or anything that told her more of the surroundings. She couldn't feel anything. Continuing to watch through the bars, she saw a pitch black figure with the vague shape of a man move closer, a small white sliver lined a smile where his mouth should be and faint red balls of light shown where his eyes should be. She knew who this was, and she knew she should let go. Laura's mind kept telling her hands to let go of the bars, he was closing in on her and she didn't have much time, but her body never budged. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard the whisper across her brain telling her to stay where she was. She struggled against it, but it didn't do any good. As he reached her, he knelt to her level and took her hands off the bars, holding them in his own black formless hands.

"You are mine now." The words seemed to trail across her brain even as she watched his mouth move, but she couldn't say whether or not he actually spoke.

Laura only said one word, "No."

"Yes, I told you that I would come to you again. You are where you belong." His grin widened after his mouth stopped moving, showing rows of sharp white teeth. "You are mine. You will never leave here. I will never allow you to leave me."

Laura glared at him in defiance. No words could escape her lips. His commands against her speaking poured through ever crevice of her brain, with that repeated command he failed to keep his attention where it needed to be. Laura pushed her claws out, and as she felt that small amount of pain, the images before her shattered and she opened her eyes. The repetitive ticking of Wade tapping his pen against the table resonated through her brain once more, and she stared at the ceiling above her bed. She didn't move. She didn't speak. She thought to herself, wondering if it was real or if she was just being toyed with. She found herself wondering if any of this was real. Was she really locked in a cage again with Deapool, or was she trapped inside her mind to play through each moment as if there might be a hopeful escape only to never win? She couldn't understand what was happening, and that made it all that much worse.

In her silent tirade against her brain, she almost didn't hear Wade ask for that adjective he'd been searching for.

"Lost." She replied after his question registered with her, and she retracted her claws without glancing at him.

He nodded and remarked something back as he wrote it down, but she had already retreated into her mind once more, this time plagued by her memories of the cage she grew up in.


	9. Chapter 9: Lack of Understanding

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Enjoy! Please review if you can. **

**Lack of Understanding**

When Wade woke from his turn at four hours of sleep, he found Laura watching him quietly, and for a moment he contemplated reaching for one of his guns but the look in her eyes wasn't deadly, instead it was more curious. He yawned and sat up before joining her at the table.

"Like what you see?" He asked with a grin stretching beneath his mask.

Laura furrowed her brow. "You talk in your sleep."

"You told me," he replied.

"You said my name." She finally revealed.

His smile shrunk to a gape of shock. "I did."

"Yes." She turned her head to the side. "Why did you say my name?"

"I don't know." He shrugged and rubbed at the back of his neck through his suit. "I don't even remember what I was dreaming. I just know it was enjoyable."

"You can enjoy dreams?" Laura's expression changed the instant the word left his mouth.

"Yes." The mask around his eyes bunched up with the lines on his questioning face. "There are good dreams."

"I have never had a good dream," Laura answered.

"Not even once?" She didn't respond and he took that as a no. "What do you dream about then?"

Laura didn't speak for two minutes. "I do not wish to discuss this."

"Okay. Would you like to play me in a game of war?" Wade picked up the deck of cards to his left. "I'll teach you."

"I have been taught the art of war since I was a child, I do not need you to teach me." Laura's eyebrows drew together and her green eyes illuminated with the confusion filling her mind.

Wade paused. "Not war-war with fun explosives and shit, but the card game war."

"Oh, I suppose we can play." Laura closed her eyes. "I will keep my eyes closed while you shuffle so it will be fair."

"You don't have to." He already began shuffling, taking the opportunity while he had it.

"I must if you wish to play a card game with me, otherwise you will become upset with me again." Laura explained, still keeping her eyes shut tight.

He sighed and paused from shuffling the cards. She opened her eyes and watched him.

"X . . . Laura, don't worry about doing the correct thing with me here." She turned her head slightly to the side like she was trying to understand, and he continued. "I never do anything right or act along the lines of how people are supposed to. I can't, for some reason I can't begin to grasp. You can't either but for different reasons that I don't fully know. I've come to accept how I am, and I just say fuck it and act however I must. You need to do the same. Let go of all that, and just do what feels natural to you."

"Then you'd be dead." Laura's words rang hollow, and they even halted him for a moment.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just make a threat against my life, and I'm going to deal out the cards."

"I did not threaten your life." Laura replied. "If I do or did what feels natural to me, I would have left you behind when you were knocked off the land by that serpent. I would have saved myself and sacrificed you. It is only through learning how to act properly that I have learned that other lives are worth more saving than my own, and I must live to carry that out."

He paused from dealing out the cards, and for a moment he scratched the side of his head. "Some lives aren't even worth saving." He knew who he spoke of even before he said it, "But regardless, I am talking about you feeling like you need to do everything like a normal person would. Normal doesn't exist, especially in this cell. Outside of here, if you want to be concerned with how you act so you don't bother others, fine by me. I don't care, but when it's you and I, nothing you say or do will offend, bother, or scare me even in the slightest."

Laura gave a silent nod, but she wouldn't expand on the meaning behind it. She watched him continue dealing out the cards and when he finished, she complied them into a neat stack while he left his scattered face down about the table.

"How do we play?" She asked.


End file.
